William Pleater Davidge (17 April 1814 – 7 August 1888) was an English comedian, who came to the United States in 1850 and became identified with the American Stage.

Biography

He was born in London, and appeared as a youthful amateur at Drury Lane as James in ''The Miller's Maid''. He appeared at

Nottingham Nottingham ( , locally ) is a city and unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east of Sheffield and north-east of Birmingham. Nottingham has links to the legend of Robi ...

in 1836, and acted in London, on 26 September of that year, in the ''Haunted Tower''. Afterward, he acted in various English cities, especially in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

. His first appearance in America was in August, 1850, as Sir Peter Teazle at the old Broadway Theatre, New York; later he supported many well-known actors in the metropolis and elsewhere, among them

Edwin Forrest Edwin Forrest (March 9, 1806December 12, 1872) was a prominent nineteenth-century American Shakespearean actor. His feud with the British actor William Macready was the cause of the deadly Astor Place Riot of 1849. Early life Forrest was born i ...

, Gustavus V. Brooke, Julia Dean,

Lola Montez Eliza Rosanna Gilbert, Countess of Landsfeld (17 February 1821 – 17 January 1861), better known by the stage name Lola Montez (), was an Irish dancer and actress who became famous as a Spanish dancer, courtesan, and mistress of King Ludwig ...

, and

Fanny Davenport Fanny Lily Gipsey Davenport (April 10, 1850 – September 26, 1898) was an English-American stage actress. Life The eldest child of Edward Loomis Davenport and Fanny Elizabeth (Vining) Gill Davenport, Fanny Lily Gypsey Davenport was born on A ...

. After leaving the old Broadway Theatre in 1855, he made a tour through the country. He was a member of F. B. Conway's "star combination," and in 1863 was one of Mrs. John Wood's company at the Olympic Theatre, where he remained two seasons. He afterward took part in the Shakespearean revivals at Winter Garden Theatre, and, in August 1867, appeared as Eccles, in '' Caste'', at the new Broadway Theatre near Broome Street. He was at Daly's Fifth Avenue Theatre from 1869 until 1877, then traveled with Miss

's company, and in 1879 was the original Dick Deadeye, in ''

HMS Pinafore ''H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in London, on 25 May 1878 and ran for 571 performances, which ...

'', at the Standard Theatre. In 1885, he became a member of the Madison Square Theatre company. Davidge played over one thousand parts during his career. Among his best parts, besides those already mentioned, were Bishopriggs in ''Man and Wife'', Old Hardy in ''

The Belle's Stratagem ''The Belle's Stratagem'' is a romantic comedy of manners, the most successful work of its playwright, Hannah Cowley. It received its premiere on 22 February 1780,Winter, William. Preface to "Two Old Comedies: The Belle's Stratagem and The Wond ...

'', Hardcastle in ''

She Stoops to Conquer ''She Stoops to Conquer'' is a comedy by Oliver Goldsmith, first performed in London in 1773. The play is a favourite for study by English literature and theatre classes in the English-speaking world. It is one of the few plays from the 18t ...

'', and Croaker in ''

The Good-Natur'd Man ''The Good-Natur'd Man'' is a play written by Oliver Goldsmith in 1768. The play was written in the form of a comedy and premiered at the Covent Garden Theatre in 1768, with Mary Bulkley as Miss Richland. It was a middling success for Goldsmith, ...

''. In

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

's comedies he was successful as Caliban, Touchstone, Dogberry, Nick Bottom, and Old Gobbo. He died at

Cheyenne, Wyoming Cheyenne ( or ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming, as well as the county seat of Laramie County, Wyoming, Laramie County, with 65,132 residents, per the 2020 US Census. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne ...

, August 7, 1888.

Works

He was the author of a volume of autobiographical reminiscences called ''Footlight Flashes'' (New York, 1866); ''The Drama Defended'' (New York, 1859); and other works.

Family

His son, William Davidge (11 March 1847 - 1899), also an actor, was born at Manchester, England, and brought to the United States when a child of three years. He made his first appearance in the French Theatre, New York, in the burlesque of ''The Lady of the Lions''. During his career he played with William H. Crane,

Kate Claxton Kate Claxton (August 24, 1848 – May 5, 1924) was an American actress. Biography Kate Elizabeth Cone was born at Somerville, New Jersey to Spencer Wallace Cone and Josephine Martinez.James, Edward T.; James, Janet Wilson; Boyer, Paul S"Not ...

, and later for several seasons with Roland Reed. He died in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Davidge, William Pleater English autobiographers American male stage actors English male comedians English emigrants to the United States 1814 births 1888 deaths Writers from London 19th-century English male actors English male stage actors